Jesus Loves Me | My Everyday God

Jackson and Lauren are ready to celebrate communion

Today as a family, we gathered around and shared bread and juice to remember the death of Jesus. We broke bread together and prayed, asking God to clean our hearts and thanking Him for breaking His body on the cross to save us. We passed a cup of grape juice around our circle, thanking Jesus for being our perfect sacrifice and shedding His blood to cover our sins.

Family Communion is one of the most special traditions we observe around Easter. In fact, Jackson arranged our living room, with pillows for each of us to sit around the ottoman, before I had even gotten out of bed this morning in anticipation of sharing the Lord’s Supper.

Read Matthew 26:26-30 with your family this week before Resurrection Sunday, and then follow Jesus’ instructions to remember what He did for you.

We finished up our 2 Weeks 2 the Cross time singing praise, just as the disciples did as they left the Upper Room and headed out to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.

Learn more about 2 Weeks 2 the Cross and explore ways to experience Easter in a meaningful way with your family.

The kids consider what they can give to Jesus this Christmas.

We worshiped the King with the Wise Men today on our Journey to the Manger.

Wise Men Give Gifts

The Wise Men came to worship and honor the King God revealed to them in the stars. Before they set out to travel, they chose several gifts of significance, worthy of royalty. When they finally reached the humble place the child lived, the men from the east still fell to their knees in reverence and respect. They were in the presence of God Himself.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

– Matthew 2:10-11

So much of our focus at Christmastime is on the presents. We stress over getting everyone the perfect gift, and then paying for it all. Children write up their Christmas lists, as if getting everything on them means it’s been a great holiday. The malls are packed, traffic is snarled, and we are exhausted.

The tradition of gift-giving that Christians draw from the example of the wise men is all about the worship and adoration of the Savior. Yet, we have made the heart of Christmas about us instead of Jesus.

Today, the kids and I spent time considering what we could give to Jesus. Inside a wrapped gift were objects that represented ways we could worship Jesus. For instance, a musical instrument symbolized worshiping God in song, and we sang “Jesus Loves Me” as a gift to God. A bedtime toy reminded us we could honor God by giving Him our dreams and future. Monopoly money showed we could give God our change to be used in ministry. We looked at the hands and feet of a doll to brainstorm how we could use our feet to go and hands to serve and help others. We read a book together because growing in our knowledge of God shows how much we value our relationship with Him.

God gave us what we could never deserve in 10,000 lifetimes: His One and Only Son. God’s love is immeasurable and His grace unsurpassed. Jesus is altogether worthy of our absolute worship and praise.

What can we personally give to honor Jesus this Christmas?

Click here to learn more about celebrating Advent with your family this Christmas, including access to a Scripture plan, free downloads and activity ideas. For more on Journey to the Manger, an advent experience from Focus on the Family, visit the Thriving Family website.